Hanging in There

The weigh-in after the last blog post was pretty remarkable. CB, Foehn, and Cirrus all gained 4 to 6 grams, and Sprite and Rossby gained 11 grams!  Eating has never been an issue for them, They have their likes and dislikes, but for the most part they eat very well. We dropped the Ensure from their portion, but kept it up for the other three for another week. Last week all of them dropped weight not totally unexpected as they started getting more picky about their food. This past week they were eating better and they were back up a couple of grams each today.

Cirrus has her wellness checkup on Tuesday, and we're anxious to hear what Dr. W has to say. It's been almost a year since her surgery. Cirrus, although low on the weight side, has been very active (M says she is up half the night running in the wheel). She is still marking a lot during play time - who knows why since she should be used to Sprite and Rossby being in the room. It doesn't phase CB and Foehn.

Trying to Keep Weight On

In an earlier post I mentioned how Cirrus' weight was dropping, and how we though it may be partly due it anxiety. The diazepam seemed to help at first, but she was continuing to lose weight and we were getting concerned. Over the last few weeks they were all losing wright. However, some of that is seasonal. If you look at a plot of their weight throughout the year it tends to be lower in the winter than in the warm months. Two weeks ago, however, we could tell Cirrus was not gaining anything. She has exhibited any behaviors or other symptoms that indicate is wrong. At their weigh-in on February 3rd she was down to 58 grams, which is where she was at when we first got her. For the last two weeks we have been adding a little Ensure to their staple mix, and the first week they were eating better all around. I should point out that all five gliders had lost weight, but nothing like Cirrus.  Last Sunday we saw significant improvement. Cirrus had gained 8 grams, CB and Foehn about 4 each, and Rossby and Sprite 11 grams! Sometimes I have to double-check the scale because I don't believe some of the changes we see.

Rossby's and Sprite's gains I did believe, because they almost always eat everything we give them. Apparently they have a good time doing it, too, because their kitchen often looks like they had a party. Since they gained pretty well, we cut out the Ensure addition for them but kept it up for the trio.

Now this week everybody is getting picky about eating again. I've been doing the food the last week (normally M does this, but she is recovering from shoulder surgery) and I've been buying fresh stuff for them (instead of giving them frozen vegetables). I gave them nectarine for their fruit, and no one touched it (we knew the trio was so-so about it).  Bok choy, the trio's favorite was good for two nights and then the next time they left it. Even cantaloupe, which they love, was sitting in their dishes this morning. They almost always eat all of their staple mix, but the last two mornings two out of three dishes in the trios cage had plenty left. One thing about Cirrus, however, is that she is one active little glider. M has been sleeping on the couch in the family room for the last week and remarked that Cirrus seems to always be out and on the wheel, while the other two nap. So, it will be interesting see how the weigh-in goes this weekend.

Sleepy Gliders

Lately we have been trying to carry the gliders with us more when we are at home. Most of the time this has to be when we are doing something benign like reading or watching TV. Today was one of those days. M had the trio for most of the day, and after I finished doing the stuff I had to get done I had Rossby and Sprite while we watched a movie. When I initially took them out of the cage they were a little squirmy in the pouch, but after a few minutes of gently rubbing them through the pouch they settled down. I peeked into the pouch a few times and one or the other would raise their head and look at me. About 20 minutes after my last peek I looked in again, and this is what I saw.  I just had to take a photo.  They were sound asleep and even the flash didn't wake them.

Sprite (L) and Rossby (R) sound asleep in their pouch.